Social Media Article Review

Why I Use Social Media in My Classes

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Photo credit: screenshot from teachthought.com

After taking this class I feel like I have a better idea of the technology I can use in my classroom. That is why I picked this article. I wanted to get some more insight into how I can integrate social media into my future classroom as well as connect and engage with students. The picture above I think is a great poster showing how social media can impact and change the classroom setting. The article that I picked to read confirms that I think using social media in the classroom is a positive thing. 

I really enjoyed reading this article by Julie Smith. She teaches media courses at a college and is a firm believer in social media being present in the classroom. She uses the students phones to her advantage. She has them join the class Twitter chat to discuss with each other without having to use their voices, Kahoot, and PollEverywhere to get students engaged and having them take control of what they are learning. 

Photo credit: screenshot from heyjuliesmith

I love what she said here in number two. She is trying to make what she is teaching student centered and interesting for her class. Back in college and even now at Dominican every time I enter a classroom it is always said to us to try to keep our phones put away. Teachers should know by now that putting out phones away or turning them off isn't something easy for our generation. With that in mind more teachers should try to integrate social media into their lessons. Julie Smith states, "a quick cell phone activity breaks up the class, re-engages them, and shows them that I am interested in connecting with them through a medium that they love." It allows students to take their phones out as well as to use their phones to learn something new. 

Julie isn't delusional or naive to the fact that students are going to be on their phones regardless of what a teacher says. There is no point in fighting it anymore, instead she uses that to her advantage. When students are interested in what they are learning and it is meaningful they won't need to snap, tweet, surf, or scroll they will be busy with what is being taught. 

This article really got me interested in the idea of using social media in the classroom. If we want kids to learn we need to get on their level and use what they are using to our advantage. Lastly, Julie ends her article by encouraging her students to use social media. Use their Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, etc with their classroom hashtag. She wants students and others to see that learning is taking place 24/7 and not just within a classroom with a teacher lecturing for an hour. 

Reflection

Looking Back

When I signed up for this course I honestly thought we would just learning things that we already knew. Many of the course I have already taken at Dominican are repetitive so I didn't have high expectations for learning new things. To my surprise every week I learned something new! It was great to learn new technology tools and see what other students know as well. I have so many takeaways from this course and truly feel like I not only got something out of the class, but useful things that I can use in my future classroom. I will definitely be keeping up with my website and continue to blog. I found both to a lot of fun and a great way to share thoughts and ideas with others! 

What I Learned:

My viewpoints on technology changed and how technology can be used in the classroom. Some things I learned and loved were:

• Blogging
• Professional Learning Network
• Using Twitter (I was resistant at first)
• Building a website for my professional web presence (This was my favorite! I felt like I got to get creative and show who I am.)
• Learning new apps 
• I learned about trends in educational technology, 
• I also got to learn about digital mapping. 
• I learned about data mining and the importance of teaching students to be mindful of what they are putting online.
• Lastly, I learned that technology is a great tool that can be used to help teach students as well as differentiate instruction as well. We also need to be careful to teach students about the internet and how to responsibly use it. 

Technology viewpoint:

My viewpoint on technology definitely changed throughout this course. I went from thinking I knew what I liked and was comfortable with where I was with technology to learning so many new ways to implement technology not only into my classroom, but also with other teachers and staff as well. I feel more equipped going into a classroom and using new tools that I have learned from this class. I was naive to think that I knew everything I needed to know and that there was nothing else for me to learn. This was a great class that opened a lot of new doors! 

What stood out to me:

Each week always brought something new for me. Learning about TPACK and how inclusive it is for students and engaging it can be will be something I look back on for future use. I again, I loved making the professional website. I found it to be fun and engaging and something I can continue to use and update throughout my career. Lastly, I enjoyed using padlet. I liked getting to work with a partner and use the site to collaborate on the assignment. I think this is something great that students can use to work together and create class projects or assignments with. 

Thank you to everyone for making this class great and teaching me something new each week! It has been great getting to know everyone and good luck on your journey! 

Digital Tattoo

My Data Dig

What is data mining and digital tattoos?
Every time we go on the internet or post something we are leaving behind a digital tattoo. This is something that many of us all need to be mindful about. What we say and put out on the internet never goes away...even if we delete it. This can have a negative effect if someone says something on the internet and it gets out. Even though they "delete" what they say it can be forever out on the web. Leaving a digital tattoo doesn't have to be bad though. It can be something that is meaningful and positive for people to see. When we leave a digital tattoo we can then go data mining to see what shows up on the interest about our digital history. Here is what my data mining showed me...


Picture of me:
I do have social media so I expected to find my pictures through a Google search. The first one on the left is my Pintrest profile picture and the picture to the right is my profile picture for my Goodreads account. The bottom left picture is for my Twitter account profile and the bottom right picture is my Instagram profile picture. 

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot
buddig89 on Pintrest

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot
Ashley Buddig on Goodreads

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot
@ashbuddig on Instagram

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot

@ashbuddig on Instagram

What I Found:

While I continued to search myself I found that my last name did come up Budding, which honestly doesn't shock me one bit. My entire life people and even auto correct have tried to spell my last name with a N in it. 
Also, immediately when first searching my name Carl Buddig and Company comes up. Since this is still family owned business it doesn't shock me that when I Google my name it comes up. 
While searching, many of my family members; my mom, brother, aunt, uncle, and grandparents also showed up. On some sites like radaris you can see not only family, but neighbors and even family without the same last name. I thought that was shocking/creepy how the sites are able to connect people like that. 
As for my age and gender everywhere I searched, Google, Spokeo, TruthFinder, and Peakyou all showed the same accurate information. 

Address: 

I have moved multiple times and the searches I have done through Google, Spokeo, Whitepages, Nuwber, and radars all show the addresses I have lived at. One thing that was confusing was on fastpeoplesearch it has my current address as the one when I lived in California and it doesn't have the address where I moved to this past October.

Job title:

On the Community Consolidated School District 181 website I am listed in the Walker School Staff menu.

I also found information on a job I used to work at out in California. When I lived in California back in 2013-2017 I worked as an office manager for a chiropractic office.

School: 

On mysuburbanlife my name is in the 2008 graduating class of Hinsdale Central High School.

I also found on Western Illinois University website my 2012 college graduation.

Hobbies:

If someone searched me they could check out my Pintrest page and find out what my hobbies are. I have various boards, such as recipes, dream vacations, Disney tips and tricks, dogs, teaching, home decor, and crafts. These are all things that I am interested in and my hobbies. If they also check out my Goodreads account they will find the various books I have read and the books I want to read. They can see my reading interests and the particular genres I enjoy reading. Lastly, if someone where to look at my Instagram account they would find that some of my other hobbies are my dog, my family, and that I love to travel.

Photo credit: personal/screenshot 

Photo credit: personal/screenshot

Photo credit: personal/screenshot 

Is this a skill that should be taught to students? If so, how young and who is responsible?

Yes, this should be taught to students! Before the age of 2 children already have a digital foot print because of parents taking and posting photos of them. Also, in the video that you shared you said, "most children have 1,000 images of them posted online before their fifth birthday." To me that is a shocking number. 

With all those images posted on the web I believe it is crucial to teach students about their digital tattoo. Jamie Knowles(a senior manager with the nonprofit Common Sense Education) states, "digital 

citizenship lessons should start early, as children begin using internet-connected devices while toddlers, Knowles says. In elementary school, lessons can cover how students absorb media, and what opportunities the internet can provide, Knowles says. In middle school, topics such as online bullying and identifying trustworthy sources can be studied. By high school, students can debate concepts such as the role of social media in their lives and how much personal information corporations should be allowed to collect." 

I believe that parents should be the ones to start off teaching their children about a digital footprint. Since they have already set their child up with a digital footprint they should be the ones to explain to their child that they have posted many pictures and by doing that when people search you those photo can still come up even if deleted. Parents are also the ones that should be deciding if their child has a social media page and a discussion about what you put out on the internet should be had. Lastly, once students enter school I believe it is the teachers and computer lab staff that should be teaching students even more about their digital tattoo and the pros and cons to having one. 

Photo credit: Kathleen Morris

Photo credit: Kathleen Morris

Additional Resources:

Teaching students about their digital tattoo

Kids and their digital footprint 

Cool Tools For Schools

Web 2.0 Tool

Storybird

What is Storybird?

Storybird is a language arts tools illustrations and pictures are used to inspire students to write stores and encourages ongoing writing practice. Storybird is a fantastic site where students can create their own stories, comics, and poetry. Storybird helps students to get creative with their writing as well as boost their writing skills. There are badges and other rewards that can be earned throughout students writing practice that encourages them along the way. 

How can it be used in the classroom?

In the classroom story board can be used by all students. Storybird also aligns with common core which allows teachers to pick prompts that line up with their literacy lessons. Teachers can create a class project or students can pick a genre and create their own stories. Teachers can assign Storybird for individual use or as a group. There are also stories that students can read from other writers in different countries.  Students can get creative and use their imagination to write stories and poetry as well as comment on their classmates work and provide meaningful feedback. 

In our school this year the 2nd grade class used Storybird to create their own fairytale book. Towards the end of their fairytale literacy unit the teacher had each student get creative and write their own fairytale story. It was a great way to see if students understood the unit as well as allow them to practice their own writing skills. This was also used in upper grades 4^thand 5^th. With Storybird you can also make poems. The upper grades were allowed to go on Storybird and pick a piece of artwork that inspired them. They then presented their poems at the yearly poetry slam. 

Video:

Additional Resources:

Storybird

Storybird Twitter

How to create a book on Storybird

Professional Learning Network

Twitter Chat

My Professional Learning Network:
During this course I have been working on my professional learning network. I used an existing Twitter account that I had set up previously for another class. While exploring Twitter again through this course I came across new Twitter accounts to follow and found some great resources for teachers, students, and parents. 

New Twitter Followers:

I started following 22 new education and nutrition account while building upon my account. They include; @SpEdchat, @edchatnet, @n2y, @TheConnectModel, @SpecialEDchat, @thinkcollegeICI, @KITandNTCI, @BrookesPubCo, @autismspeaks, @Laurathomasphd, @GoNoodle, @TeachersApps, @edutopia, @Shape_magazine, @ZonesOfReg, @Inclusive_Class, @SocialThinking, @FitBottomedGirl, @joybauer, @Bored_Teachers, @WeAreTeachers, @Catlin_Tucker, @IL_Includes

Retweet Worthy:                     

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot 

Photo credit: personal photos/screenshot 

When going through my Twitter feed every week I found some great resources for students and teachers. The first one from @edutopia is about why students should be drawing more. Drawing is another way for students to be able to communicate what they want and how they feel without having to be verbal. The second picture is from @Catlin_Tucker. This one is showing how to use the voice typing in google docs. This resource is great for students who have trouble typing or writing. Even students who have disabilities can use this app to help them to still be included and participate in assignments in their grade level. 

#Edchat:

Photo credit (both pictures): personal photo/screenshot

 My first Twitter Chat was Tuesday June 11th. I joined the #edchat hoping to learning something new...and I did! My first two pictures are of a post that I liked and retweeted. When I read it I really connected to what was said about building relationships with students and showing them trust, respect and empathy. For me this was such a connection to my educational philosophy about teachers providing a safe space where there is trust, compassion and love.*I couldn't fit the whole post with my response so I had to  take two screenshots. 

  

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot

I found this next post to be a fun and interactive game for students to learn probability. They are engaged, having fun, and learning, which is what we want learning to be about. 

Photo credit: personal photo/screenshot

This last picture is another great post that I found while being in the #Edchat. The link in the post allows you to access free books as well as additional content related to the book online. I thought this was a great resource for kids who are on summer break or even during the other various breaks during the school year! 

My Twitter chat reflection:
Going through my first Twitter chat was a little nerve wracking at first. I was nervous that the chat would go to fast and that I wouldn't be able to keep up, but to my surprise the #Edchat was a great experience. I learned some new things and even got to add some things to my resource list. Another thing that was great was the ability to learn from others on the chat. I started following several other Twitter accounts and was able to make a connection with a post. I don't usually use Twitter , but I found that going into a chat and checking my account a couple times a week really helped me to find new resources and things that I can take with me into my own classroom. 

Follow me on Twitter @ashley_buddig

Additional Resources:

How Do I Get A PLN?

Reasons Why Teachers Need A PLN

Reflecting on Research

Media and Body Image

For this week's blog post, I decided to take a closer look at the data collected from Common Sense Media on Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image. This current generation of students is very consumed with technology. As a result, problems arise when working with this media.Working at the elementary level, I have seen students as young as kindergarteners reflecting on how they look and compare to things they see on TV. According to the research done by Common Sense:

"Body image is developed in early childhood, and even very young children exhibit body dissatisfaction."

When I read this paper, I wasn't surprised that kids aged five to six years old start to experience body image dissatisfaction. The shocking part to me was that the kids already know about dieting. Some already even engaging in some sort of dieting behavior. "Twenty-six percent of five year olds recommend dieting behavior (not eating junk food, eating less) as a solution for a person who has gained weight and by the time they're seven years old, one in four children has engaged in some kind of dieting behavior" (Lowes & Tiggemann, 2003). Social media plays a huge role in how children think they should look. Television also plays a big role. Both social media and television teach children that thinner is better, and that if you look a certain way, you will be pretty. Kids are  comparing themselves to models, cartoon characters, their peers, pictures they seen online, etc. They are doing this at such a young age, and the consequences are very negative.

Social Media and Teens 

A second article, also through Common Sense Media,  discusses Social Media, Social Life Teens Reveal Their Experiences.  I read this article next because I wanted to see how social media was impacting teens' lives. The first article had some shocking statistics about children as young as five having body image problems. I was curious to find information on how this impacts teenagers. One part of the article had teens take a survey on how social media makes them feel. "The survey included a social-emotional well-being (SEWB) scale based on concepts such as happiness, depression, loneliness, confidence, self-esteem, and parental relations." 

Using the graphs below, the data showed teens who were on the lowest end of the social-emotional well-being scale have the hardest time with social media in their lives. "Nearly half of teen social media users at the low end of the SEWB scale say social media is “extremely” or “very” important in their lives. Teen social media users on the low end of the scale are also much more likely to say they’ve had a variety of negative responses to social media, such as feeling bad about themselves when nobody comments on or likes their posts; feeling left out or excluded after seeing photos on social media of their friends together at something they weren’t invited to; and deleting social media posts because they didn’t get enough likes. Disturbingly, more than a third (35 percent) say they have been cyberbullied, compared to 5 percent of high-SEWB teens." After reading the stats from this survey, it is very alarming to see what effect social media has on teens who already have low self esteem. Technology has come very far in recent years. It has taken education to new levels, and it's a great way for teachers to differentiate lessons for students. However, its drawbacks can have harmful effects on children of all ages. These drawbacks can cause body image problems, low self esteem, leave students feeling lonely, and can even cause cyberbullying.

        

(Both pictures from: Common Sense Media )

Additional Resources:

More stats on teens and body image dissatisfaction

Children, Teens, Media, and Body Image Infographic

Active Learning

What is active learning?

Active learning is a range of teaching strategies that a teacher can use to engage students as active participants in what they are learning. This is a great way for students to take control of their learning. It also allows students to be involved, and think about what they are learning.  


About the activity:

The activity we were presented with was a blog set up by a student named Max. In the scenario, Max is away filming a movie, and is not currently at school. Since Max is not able to be in a traditional classroom, a blog was created for him as an alternative active learning strategy. Even though Max will be away filming, he will be able to write a post once a week, keeping his class updated on what he is doing. Max tells his classmates what is going on with the film via the blog post. He shares pictures of himself on set, including his visit to the Royal Ontario Museum. His classmates can comment, ask questions, and even share about their school day to Max. It is a great way for students to keep in touch with Max, and vice versa. 

Personal Photo: Active Learning Padlet

How the activity ties into active learning:

This activity ties into active learning because it is engaging, experiential, and mindful for students. The blog activity allows Max and his classmates to engage with each other by communicating through blog postings. Through Max's blog, his classmates can ask him questions or comment on his posts or pictures.

When the students comment on Max's posts, they are aware that he is not at school. By providing detailed comments, his classmates keep him up to date about what is going on at school. The assignment also allows students to learn about Max's work, including what goes on behind the scenes of movies, as well as new vocabulary like cinematographer.

  
Should teachers keep active learning in mind when developing lessons?

Teachers should always try to keep active learning in mind when developing lessons. For example, if the class is working on plant anatomy, the teacher can incorporate different teaching strategies such as: think pair share, partner talk, and small group activity. Using different strategies of active learning allows students to engage in the material. Allowing students to actively learn also helps them to be mindful of what others are saying. It can also help them learn from each other.

Personal experience with active learning:

I see active learning everyday in our second grade classroom. First, the teacher will present a new lesson for 5-10 minutes. After the presentation, the teacher provides an activity for the students. In the classroom this week, students have to answer who, what, when, where, and why questions using a Clue Jr. mystery book. Once the teacher provides direction for the activity, the students partner up or form a group of three. Once in groups, they work together to read and answer questions to solve the mystery in the book.

During science, the students were learning about plants. Each student was able to plant their own plant. As the plant was growing, the students observed new parts of the plant, and labeled them as the plants grew. The teacher used a whole group discussion with her smart board to engage the students in naming parts of the plant, the job of a plant, and what the plant needs to survive. Students discussed these elements as a class, and were called upon to come up to the smart board and draw/label the information.

Photo credit: active learning

This image is what I think active learning should look like. It is a great representation of  our second grade room. Students need time to engage with other classmates or individually to learn. When students can relate back a subject, they retain so much more than just something being read off a Powerpoint slide or out of a book.

Additional Information: 

Active Learning Information